At this year’s Spring Convocation, English Professor Scott Hanna won the Teaching Award. In order to win this, one must be elected by colleagues and hold a high reputation across campus and present a passion and excellence for teaching.

Hanna graduated from WLU in 1996 and started teaching here in 2008. His father also was a professor at WLU for over 30 years. Hanna said, “Teaching here was like coming home.” Hanna agrees there is a homey-feel to West Liberty and the small college allows professors and students to form better connections with each other. Hanna said, “Student-teacher ratio is very important. Smaller class sizes enable us to work very closely with students and to offer individual help a lot easier.”

Hanna teaches several English and writing classes: American Literature, creative writing, composition, and Appalachian Literature. He has several goals to achieve with all his classes. “I teach a wide variety of courses with different kinds of goals. But one common goal across all of those classes is for students to learn the cultural value of literature and writing and to connect that to their own experience and understanding of what it means to be human.”

It is fair to say that his students feel that he meets his goals. Isaac Basinger, junior at WLU, took an English class with Hanna. Bassinger says, “He [teaches] in a way that is simple and natural.” When asked if Bassinger would take another class taught by Hanna if he had the opportunity, he replied, “I definitely would. He is a great man before he is an educator. Plus, he makes his classes interesting.”

Another student, Kenley George, junior at WLU, had similar opinions about Hanna. She said she was able to write about her past experiences and traveling in his class. “I think he’s a great professor and always made class fun. If I got the chance to take a class with him again, I definitely would.” Hanna holds a great reputation among students and leaves a lasting impression on them.

Congratulations to Professor Hanna on winning the Teaching Award at this year’s Spring Convocation. For more information about this article, email Lizzy Griffith at [email protected].